FAQautism

This podcast comes with a warning. Except in a few cases, it is impossible to completely eradicate obsessive murmuring. In fact, our calling attention to the irritating habit can, indeed, escalate the problem. Part 1 of this series describes the issue on continual words, nonsense syllables, scripts, or conversations. Today we will look at some strategies to help minimize murmuring.

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We’ll start the discussion about murmuring with a technique that definitely does not work – nagging. Few people, whether diagnosed with autism or not, will change a habit if we fuss at them or constantly say things like, “You need to stop murmuring and listen to me,” or “Your constant murmuring is driving me crazy!” From the perspective of others in hearing distance, our nagging can be more irritating and disruptive than the targeted murmuring.

Murmuring is inherent in autism. Among the diagnostic criteria for autism, as stated in the DSM-IV-TR manual (APA, 2000, p. 70-71) are the following characteristics of autism spectrum disorders: “stereotyped and repetitive use of language,” and “encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus.” This can be manifested by ongoing repetition of words, phrases, nonsense syllables, songs, movie scripts, or overheard conversations.

Since, except in a few cases, total silence is unrealistic, our primary goals are to decrease the volume, constancy, or disruptive nature of the murmuring. Let’s take a brief look at four ideas for addressing perseverative speech or continual noises.
1. IGNORE. As long as the chatter is not extraordinarily disruptive, we can learn to ignore the sounds, just as most of us ignore a television, phone conversations, or other scripts in our environment.
2. MY TIME – YOUR TIME. We can use a visual cue card or other cue to help our friend learn that he may talk at will during his free time, but needs to keep his voice silent when requested to do so at certain times of the day or during certain activities. As the length of “my time” gradually increases, the murmuring and chatter of “your time” gets shorter.
3. INTERRUPT. Sometimes a person becomes so involved in their repetitive script that he is not able to focus on the world around him. In this case, we may need to capture their attention and interrupt their murmuring before they notice the “My time – Your time” or the “First work, then free time” cue. We will discuss the “interrupt strategy” in detail in a future podcast, but keep in mind that gentle interruptions and calm but firm reminders can work wonders.
4. CALM. When the volume or intensity of a person’s repetitive sounds causes excessive agitation for them or for others around them, we can focus on helping our friend settle down. Depending on the situation, we can play calming music, turn down the volume of activity in the room, soften lights, and otherwise instill a sense of calm.

TIP FOR THE DAY. Sometimes our murmuring friends are very disconnected and do not respond to our best efforts to help them calm down or to decrease their constant chatter or stream of sounds. When our strategies do not make a dent, the best strategy might be to turn our attention away from the person’s murmuring while at the same time listening carefully for a break in the sounds so we can gently make connections.

Source: American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.-text rev.) Washington, DC: Author.

NOTE TO READERS AND LISTENERS: I am Cathy Knoll, a board certified music therapist and long-time friend of many folks with autism. At FAQautism.com we are committed to providing free, practical, everyday tips for making life better for people with autism. Feel free to send me a confidential email at talk@FAQautism.com with your thoughts or challenging situations or innovative solution. And don’t forget to check out our website for a wealth of ideas and a glimpse into the world of autism. http://FAQautism.com

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